The Adventurous Lectionary – Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost – August 18, 2024 I Kings 2:10-12; 3:13-14; Psalm 111; Ephesians 5:15-20; John 6:51-58 Give me a heart of wisdom! Give our leaders a heart of wisdom! Give our political candidates a heart of wisdom! Wisdom seems hard to come by in our personal lives and the body politic that reflects our values. When we critique the state of the American political scene, we best look in the mirror: we ourselves need... Read more
The Adventurous Lectionary – The Twelfth Sunday after Pentecost – August 11, 2024 2 Samuel 8:5-9, 15, 31-33 Psalm 130 Ephesians 4:25-5:2 John 6:35, 41-51 Today’s passages join challenge, hope, and grief. They join deep emotion with deep faith. We often live in the depths, feeling God-forsaken. They also counsel behaviors that edify rather than tear down, which is especially important in this time of vitriol and incivility, in which politicians thrive on dishonesty and divisiveness. Even with the best... Read more
The Adventurous Lectionary – Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost – August 4, 2024 2 Samuel 11:26-12:13a Psalm 51:1-12 Ephesians 4:1-16 John 6:24-35 This Sunday’s readings focus on the realities of sin and grace. Although God creates a universe of beauty – a very good world – sin is one of the most pressing realities of scripture and our daily lives, both at the personal and communal spheres. Despite the original goodness of life and our own creation in God’s image, wee... Read more
The Adventurous Lectionary – The Tenth Sunday after Pentecost – July 28, 2024 2 Samuel 11:1-15 Psalm 14 Ephesians 3:14-21 John 6:1-21 This week’s passages encompass the polarities and ambiguities of life. They contrast the duplicity of the powerful with the generosity of the marginalized. They join themes involving the individual and communal, scarcity and abundance, and fallibility and grace. They are spiritual and also intensely political as they call us to go beyond self-interest to world loyalty and scarcity... Read more
The Adventurous Lectionary – The Ninth Sunday after Pentecost – July 21, 2024 2 Samuel 7:1-14a Psalm 89:20-37 Ephesians 2:11-22 Mark 6:30-34, 53-56 God’s covenant embraces all of us, promising more than we can ask or imagine. How do we best align ourselves with God’s vision of abundant life for us and those we love? How do we open to the sacredness of the present moment and also for the long haul? How do we find peace and healing, calm... Read more
The Eighth Sunday after Pentecost – July 14, 2024 2 Samuel 6:1-5, 12b-19 Psalm 24 Ephesians 1;3-14 Mark 6:14-29 Growing up in the early 60’s, I remember tapping my feet to “Do You Want to Dance?” and “Twist and Shout.” Yesterday, as I was on holiday at Chautauqua, a ballet recital ended with “Dancing in the Streets.” Today’s readings query, do you want to dance with God? Does your congregation’s worship inspire passion and ecstasy? Do you come to worship expecting... Read more
THE FOURTH OF JULY AND TURNING TO THE BETTER ANGELS OF OUR NATURE “I am loath to close. We are not enemies, but friends. We must not be enemies. Though passion may have strained it must not break our bonds of affection. The mystic chords of memory, stretching from every battlefield and patriot grave to every living heart and hearthstone all over this broad land, will yet swell the chorus of the Union, when again touched, as surely they will... Read more
The Adventurous Lectionary – The Seventh Sunday after Pentecost – July 7, 2024 2 Samuel 5:1-5, 9-10 Psalm 48 2 Corinthians 2:2-10 Mark 6:1-13 This week, I am focusing on the New Testament passages and their emphasis on the role of faith to transform our lives and enable us to face creatively even those realities that cannot be changed and, as activist Angela Davis asserts, change the realities we cannot accept. Limitation is the womb of possibility and divine healing... Read more
Sixth Sunday after Pentecost – June 30, 2024 2 Samuel 1:1, 17-27 Psalm 130 2 Corinthians 8:7-15 Mark 5:21-43 Today’s texts invite us to consider the universal need for healing. Healing takes many forms because our needs take many forms. We need healing of our experiences of loss and grief, of our sense of moral failure, greed, and brokenness of body, mind, spirit, and the healing relationships. We need social transformation and planetary healing and the healing of economic inequality.... Read more
The Fifth Sunday after Pentecost – June 23, 2024 I Samuel 17: 1a, 4-11, 19-23, 32-49 Psalm 9:9-20 II Corinthians 6:1-13 Mark 4:35-41 Today’s scriptures describe challenging life situations in which our abilities may not seem equal to the difficulties we face. They promise that divine resources will enable us to face what is beyond our abilities to confront alone. They don’t promise ease, but they do promise persistence and power, and a way made where we see no way... Read more
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